. . Lintuharrastajan päiväkirja Birders diary . .

On the 15th of May Arttu Valonen started finding rarities but unfortunately nobody else managed to see a Penduline Tit in Koitsanlahti. I only heard a Garden Warbler and a Wryneck and we all saw a Ural Owl that was breeding inside a log there.

On the morning of the 16th of May a Golden Oriole was singing in our garden. I headed to an early morning trip and once I stopped at dam-road Arttu had just found a Savi’s Warbler there. On my lunch-hour I heard an Icterine Warbler in Tiviä and then on the dam-road we surprisingly saw a very late Golden Eagle migrating. Also a female Red-backed Shrike was seen as a year-tick.

On the 17th of May I saw a couple of Pink-footed Geese in Punnola. Then on my lunch-hour I saw a couple of Black Kites and the same Bluethroat was still singing by the dam-road. In the afternoon we headed to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw a Common Ringed Plover and a Common Redshank, in Kanavalampi 6 Temminck’s Stints, a Spotted Redshank and a Short-eared Owl, in Jyrkilä a Merlin and then we headed to Pohjanranta. The we saw 2 Little and 3 Common Ringed Plovers, 80 Ruffs, a Temminck’s Stint and 2 Common Redshanks until I found a strange-looking wader that I couldn’t immediately identify. But when first a Wood Sandpiper and then a Ruff passed it I realized that it was the first Pectoral Sandpiper in Parikkala!

We took lots of bad pictures of this distant Pectoral Sandpiper but then most of the geese flushed for some reason and then also all waders flew to one very vegetated island at the Pectoral Sandpiper wasn’t found anymore. Later in the evening all the waders had flushed together and left towards north.

In the evening we went to put mist-nets ready to our SSP-ringing site and there we saw a couple of Oystercatchers.

On the 18th of May we woke up very early and hat mist-nets up when the sun was rising. In 6 hours we ringed only 4 Common Whitethroats, 5 Willow Warblers and 2 Reed Bunting and one was controlled. We also had a Little Ringed Plover and a Temminck’s Stint migrating over us until at 9:30 a.m. Hanna noticed a bigger raptor flying right above us. She said immediately that I should look at this raptor as she had identified it already. Once I found the bird I was shocked – it was a pale morph Booted Eagle!

The eagle finished soaring and started to glide towards sun but we had plenty of time to see it very well with binoculars and then I hurried to see it also with my scope that was standing on a drier place. But soon the bird flew against the sun and we lost it. Then we hurried to get our cameras so we would be ready when it comes to the other side of the sun, but it never came. It had either continued gliding or started to get higher to the sky against the sun. But after all we were happy even though we hadn’t got any pictures as we had finally seen a rare eagle in Parikkala!

In the afternoon we headed to Saari where in Akonpohja we saw 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Temminck’s Stints. Then we heard familiar humming sound that we identified as Mute Swan’s wings and soon we saw the swan flying over the field. Mute Swan is not annual in Parikkala.

In Kanavalampi we saw a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and 4 Temminck’s Stints and in Pohjanranta 2 Little Ringed Plovers. Then we still headed to Siikalahti where the same Bluethroat and Savi’s Warbler were still active. In Punnola we saw again a couple of Pink-footed Geese.

On the 19th day we headed to Pohjanranta early and stayed there for some hours but unfortunately the weather-forecaats were once again wrong and there was no rain at all. So we didn’t see the migrating waders we had hoped to see. A Garganey, a White-tailed Eagle, 2 Honey Buzzards, a Hen Harrier, 8 Temminck’s Stints and a Common Rosefinch were found and in Ansunmäki we saw a Merlin. Then we moved to Siikalahti where we stayed also some hours and saw 3 Honey Buzzards, a Black Kite, a White-tailed Eagle, a Whimbrel and 4 Common Swifts and so on.

In the evening the first Dark Junco was found in Luoto western coast but too late for me and during week I have no possibility to go twitching very far. So I hoped the bird to stay there for longer but unfortunately it disappeared too soon. Luckily I had been lucky with my previous twitches and finally managed to find something by myself too so I wasn’t very disappointed.

During the week we had a Common Reed Warbler in Helenansaari, even 9 Temminck’s Stints, a Little Ringed Plover, a Whimbrel and a Marsh Sandpiper in Pohjanranta, a few Red-breasted Flycatchers in Soininmäki and in Siikalahti there were a couples of Greylag Goose, Black Kite and Common Redshank. We also saw a couple of migrating Arctic Skuas, a Temminck’s Stint and the same Bluethroat and Savi’s Warbler were still around. In Moskuunniemi I heard a Corn Crake and in Muttelinmäki a Spotted Flycatcher. We also went to ring the only Ural Owl chicks we had this year.

On the 24th of May I went right after midnight to twitch a River Warbler that Hanna had found earlier. I wasn’t tired so I continued to check that Great Snipes had arrived to their ordinary place. Then I still had some Nightjars, Corn Crakes, a Short-eared owl and the same Savi’s Warbler before I continued to home to sleep.

On Friday and Saturday we did duck-counts in Saari but saw nothing special on the counts. Some Common and Little Ringed Plover and Temminck’s Stints and again a Whibrel. On Friday in Tarassiinlahti we saw a migrating falcon that was catching bugs all the time. Luckily it passed us pretty close so we could identify it as a female Red-footed Falcon. When we were driving towards Parikkala we noticed another falcon in Akanpelto and stopped our car a soon found out that there were 2 female Red-footed Falcons catching insects over the field! White we were trying to get some pictures of the falcons in last light we saw a flock of 29 Velvet Scoters and 2 Greater Scaups migrating over us.

On Saturday we saw only a couple of Gadwalls, a migrating flock of Barnacle and Brent Geese with one possible Pale-bellied Brent in the flock in Kanavalampi. In Pohjanranta we saw 4 Temminck’s Stints and a single Broad-billed Sandpiper and in Akonpohja 2 males and a female Garganey. The best observation of the day was maybe a couple of House Sparrows in Pohjanranta – the first House Sparrows in Parikkala for us this year.

On the 26th day we had SSP again and caught 2 White Wagtails, a Redwing, 2 Sedge Warblers, a Blyth’s Reed Warbler, a Common and a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, 2 Willow Warbler and a Reed Bunting control. Only a Little Ringed Plover and a Temminck’s Stint were heard migrating. And again on Sunday evening a rare bird was found and again in Luoto! This time there was the 5th Bonelli’s Warbler for Finland. Again I had to hope it to stay until the next weekend. After all it would be nice to do some twitching after all these spontaneous birds…

On the 27th of May I did short trip to forests and saw a Capercaillie. At night I heard a Spotted Crake, some Great Snipes, Nightjars, Blyth’s Reed Warblers and a Short-eared Owl. Also a flock of 230 Brent Geese were seen migrating.

On the 28th of May the same Bluethroat was still singing and also a Common Reed Warbler was heard along the dam-road. On the next morning there was a Marsh Warbler singing on the same bushes and it was my Parikkala year-tick number 200 – earlier than ever. On my lunch-hour I saw a Black Kite and in the afternoon I was jogging around Tarvaslampi with Hanna’s brother Miika and we saw a young Tengmalm’s Owl on its nest-hole.

On the 30th day I saw a couple of Common Redshanks in Siikalahti and in the afternoon a couple of the same species were see also in Pohjanranta where we also saw a couple of late Greater White-fronted Geese and even 113 Lapwings with the first young ones too. Then we a Great Snipe lekking on a new place and surprisingly it flew very close to us and we could get some great pictures of it. In Akonpohja we saw again a Black-tailed Godwit and in the evening we visited the Tengmalm’s and Ural Owl’s natural nests where still were some youngsters.

J.A.

On the 1st of May there was only Common Redpolls migrating in Siikalahti. The same Bluethroat was still singing and a Peregrine flew over. Pretty soon we decided to drive to Saari where we did water-bird counts. We saw 2 male Gadwalls in Akonpohja and couples in Kanavalampi and Tarassiinlahti. There were lots of birds but nothing special. A Blackcap was seen in Hiekkaniemi and in Pohjanranta we saw a female Pallid Harrier, a Peregrine Falcon and a couple of Oystercatchers.

My brother Pirkka arrived at night and we headed straight to Siikalahti where we heard the same Bluethroat and a Spotted Crake.

On the 2nd of May on my birthday we started in Siikalahti but saw nothing interesting. Of course Pirkka got plenty of year-ticks! Only new bird for me was a Hobby. Then we twitched a Tengmalm’s Owl and a Nuthatch before headed to Saari. A Slavonian Grebe was in Valkialampi and then it was quiet until we got to Kanavalampi where we saw Bewick’s Swans, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Garganey and a Red-breasted Goose. In Suurenjärvenliete we found 2 more Red-breasted Geese, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Marsh Sandpiper! When we were about to drive back, we got a message that probably the same Bar-headed Goose that I had found earlier was now in Kinnarniemi and of course we drove to see it. In the evening we still headed to Siikalahti and managed to see the long-staying American Wigeon. So we had really started well!

On the 3rd of May we had a Garganey and a White-tailed Eagle in Siikalahti and then both in Kontiolampi and in Kolmikannankangas a Pallid Harrier. When we were in Lahdensuo, we saw a White-tailed Eagle soaring on the sky with a Short-eared Owl. Then I got a message that there was a strange-looking chat in Lappeenranta. I got a couple of pictures of the bird and I wasn’t sure what it was. So we decided to go twitching. On the way we got a message about the exact place. Once we got there, we were alone. After some searching we found a few Whinchats and with them there was this 2nd year male Siberian Stonechat too. After I had got a few pictures all chats flew to top of high spruces and then they all disappeared. The weather had warmed up and they probably continued their migration?

On the way back we twitched a singing Grey Wagtail in Rautjärvi Simpele Ritakoski where we also saw some House Martins. Then we rested a little bit went to check that Little Ringed Plovers were back in Kukonkanta before headed to Saari again. In Akonpohja we saw a Slavonian Grebe, 4 Bewick’s Swans, 3 Gadwalls, in Pohjanranta a Little Ringed Plover, in Jyrkilä 5 Whimbrels, in Suurenjärvenliete a Grey-headed Woodpecker, a Black Woodpecker and a Lapland Bunting and in Tarnala a Hen Harrier but nothing better really.

On the 4th of May was the Bird-tower competition. We had lots of clothes when we walked to Siikalahti bird-tower. At 4:56 a.m. I found the American Wigeon and we had long 4 minutes to wait until the race begun. Luckily the bird stayed visible long enough and actually even 2 extra seconds! Then in next 8 hours we didn’t see it at all!

It was very cold and even raining but of course we saw many common species. When the weather finally started to get better we still kept on doing OK but still we saw only common birds. After several hours Hanna’s brother Miika counted that we had already got 85 species and it really sounded crazy – we had possibilities to our record!

Spring had been late so there were still some early migrants and now it was finally getting warm so we also got some later migrants like a Common Cuckoo, a Sedge Warbler, a flock of Common Scoters, a Hobby, a Merlin, Whimbrels and so on.

When it started to get warm we saw a Red-breasted Merganser, a Hen and a Pallid Harrier, a couple of Rough-legged Buzzards, a Common Redshank, a Black-tailed Godwit, an early Common Swift, a flock of Waxwings and so on but then it went quiet. Luckily at 12:40 p.m. we still had a Linnet flying over us but last 20 minutes didn’t give us any more species. We really hoped to see a White-tailed Eagle, a Sand Martin or Grey-headed or White-backed Woodpecker or so on.

After all we had got 100 species which was the first time ever! Also Saari Pohjanranta tower got the same result so together we were the first inland towers ever to get 100!

We rested a little bit and headed to Saari again and saw 3 Bewick’s Swans, a Garganey and a Black-tailed Godwit in Kanavalampi but nothing else really. Hanna stayed again in a hide for the night. With Pirkka we still headed to Siikalahti in the evening and we heard a Jack Snipe.

On the 5th of May we didn’t find anything new and then Pirkka had to start a long drive back to Kemijärvi. With Hanna we saw a Little Ringed Plover and a flock of Waxwings in Pohjanranta and then we twitched a Hawfinch in Särkisalmi.

On the beginning of the week I was tired so I just visited Siikalahti on my luch-hours and saw only a Black Kite there and a couple of Oystercatchers in Kangaskylä.

On the 8th of May I took an evening train to Lappeenranta and there we left with a couple of friends to Pori. We were in Pori early on the next morning and in Tikkula we heard a Thrush Nightingale.

After some breakfast we continued to Enäjärvi where we found an American Black Duck immediately! It was sleeping in the middle of the lake with a Mallard. Soon it woke up and swam a little bit along the shore before it disappeared to the vegetation. We also heard a Spotted Crake there.

We continued to Kaarluoto where we soon heard a couple of Bluethroats and a Common Reed Warbler. Then Miika Alatalo found a Long-billed Dowitcher that was feeding with Ruffs. There were big flocks of Ruffs flushing up to the sky all the time and suddenly the dowitcher disappeared with one flock. But luckily it soon came back alone and stayed quite close to us so we could get some pictures.

We still went to Yyteri surffiranta where we saw a couple of Little Terns, 2 Common Shelducks and 58 Bar-tailed Godwits and so on before started a long way along the coast towards south. In Rauma Unaja we saw a Great Egret over us.

In Mynämäki we stopped in Mietoistenlahti where we hadn’t been before. A Gadwall, a couple of Common Shelducks, a few Greater Scaups and Bar-tailed Godwits and a Red-breasted Flycatcher were found. Then in Masku I found a harrier from the moving car and once we got out it was already very far. We just took lots of pictures of it and at home I checked the pictures and it was a female Pallid Harrier.

In Salo we twitched a Collared Dove in Helenankatu and then headed to Omenojärvi where after some searching we saw a distant Ferruginous Duck. Then we still visited Aneriojärvi but the light was very bad for checking numerous geese there. In Helsinki Vuosaari we twitcher a Moorhen and then we still stopped in Hamina Lupinlahti where we saw 22 Caspian Terns. In Lappeenranta I took a train again to Parikkala. It had really been good Ascension Day!

On the 10th of May we headed to Pohjanranta in the afternoon. There we twitched a Grey Plover that Arttu Valonen and his friends had found. Then we counted birds there. On the way back we twitched a Ring Ouzel in Savikumpu. It was singing even though the weather was very windy.

On the 11th day we headed once again to Saari and in Kinnarniemi we found a Brent Goose on the way. The Grey Plover was still in Pohjanranta where we saw also a Little Ringed Plover, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Redshank. Then along the main-road 6 we twitched a couple of Red-breasted Geese before we found one more Red-breasted Goose in Pohjasuo.

In Kanavalampi we counted birds and saw 37 Spotted Sandpiper and 5 Common Redshanks. In Matikaisennurkka we saw a female Hen Harrier and in Mikkolanniemi a Black Kite was soaring on the sky. In Suurenjärvenliete we found a Marsh Sandpiper and then we went to count birds in Nivalahti. I dropped Hanna to hide again before I continued to Pohjanranta where I saw probably the same lonely Red-breasted Goose. In Akonpohja floods I saw a couple of Common Ringed Plovers, a Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Common Redshanks. On the way back to home I still stopped in Lääviensuo where I found a Pink-footed Goose. And in the evening I still went to Siikalahti where I saw 4 Gadwalls, a couple of Garganeys, even 205 Tufted Ducks but no American Wigeon.

On the 12th day a Wood Warbler was singing in Moskuunniemi and then I went to count birds in Akonpohja and Tarassiinlahti. In Akonpohja I saw a Black Kite, a Slavonian Grebe and a Common Pochard and in Tarassiinlahti a Gadwall and one more Black Kite.

On the 13th of May 8 Greater Scaups migrated in Siikalahti and the same Bluethroat was still singing. On the 14th day the landscape was finally changing green and in Siikalahti I heard a Thrush Nightingale, a Wood Warbler, a Sedge Warbler and some Common Whitethroats. After work Arttu picked me up and then we picked up Merja Laari in Särkisalmi and then we drove a long way to Kuopio Vuotjärvi to twithc the first A-category Ross’s Goose in Finland!

This Ross’s Goose had been ringed in Nunavut Canada and last autumn it had been found in Norway. Since that it had been seen in Denmark, Belgium, Nederland, Germany, Sweden and Estonia. In Finland birders had been hoping that the bird would continue to Finland with Barnacle Geese, but instead it was again found in Norway on the 9th of May. Maybe the bird was going back to Canada?

This bird had been moving with another unringed Ross’s Goose and when a lonely Ross’s Goose was found in Kuopio Lupinlahti on the 12th of May everyone expected it to be one more escaper. But then on the next evening birders saw a metal-ring on its leg and on the next morning photographers managed to read this ring – 2127-23516 – it was the same bird!

Unfortunately this goose was quite far but at least we managed to see it – and even the ring was visible at some point. On the way back we ate in Kaavi and then in Joensuu Reijola we saw a Bar-headed Goose which we also managed to photograph quite well.

Still about one week ago I had thought if I am going to get any Finnish-ticks this year. And now I had got 2 of them in a week – an American Black Duck and a Ross’s Goose, Maybe next I will found something by myself? I hope so…

J.A.

On the 15th of April the spring had arrived to Parikkala too – slowly and unsurely. In Särkisalmi I saw Great Crested Grebes, Smews and a Tufted Duck and in Siikalahti there were already a couple of thousands of geese, mostly Greater White-fronted and Tundra Bean Geese but also already 200 Barnacle Geese. 6 Marsh Harriers, 3 Ospreys, a Hen Harrier, 22 Pintails, 2 Greenshanks and a couple of Rough-legged Buzzards were also seen but the best bird was found on a flooded field nearby where I saw a Common Shelduck.

On the 16th of April there were 2 Cormorants in Särkisalmi and 1 Pochard and Shovelers in Siikalahti. In the evening I got big news as Minna Terävä called that she had seen a couple of hours earlier a duck that she thought was an American Wigeon! Soon she sent a picture and there was a really good-looking American Wigeon! Sun was setting when we hurried to dam-road but we saw only 5 Bewick’s Swans and heard 5 Water Rails before we saw a big flock of wigeons flying to the northern side of the bay to sleep.

On the 17th day I was searching for the American Wigeon alone early in the morning. I had already checked dam-road, Kasinniemi tower and main tower and heading to northern side but stopped again in Kasinniemi. And there the American Wigeon finally was! It was my Siikalahti-tick number 250!

American Wigeon was showing to everyone who came to twitch it early in the morning but then disappeared again. I visited Siikalahti a couple of times and saw a Greylag Goose, a Slavonian Grebe, a couple of White-tailed Eagles, a Merlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Common Redshank, a Wren and then a Short-eared Owl in Tetrisuo. The first Black-throated Diver had arrived at Särkisalmi.

On the 18th day there were already 23 Great Crested Grebes in Särkisalmi and in Siikalahti I saw 16 Snow Buntings. We did a short trip to Saari in the afternoon but saw only a couple of Redshanks and Linnets and so on.

On the 19th day it was snowing again. It was extremely cold too! Anyway I managed to see the same American Wigeon and Slavonian Grebe in the evening.

On the 20th of April Siikalahti was mostly frozen! Swans, geese and ducks had managed to keep some parts open. So ducks were easy to count but we couldn’t find the American Wigeon but there was a Little Grebe in one open water area and a Slavonian Grebe on the other one with many ducks. I also saw a Chiffchaff.

Back-winter had forced many birds to feeders and luckily many people were still filling up the feeders. Other people were making open areas to their back-yards where birds could come to feed. I saw several Dunnocks on some feeders. In the afternoon we headed to Saari but saw only a Northern Wheatear and a flock of Snow Buntings and so on. Hanna decided to stay over night in a hide along one open water place. I still visited Siikalahti late in the evening and managed to see the American Wigeon. I wonder where it had been in the morning?

On the 21th day Hanna had been sleeping in a tent in -15 degrees! All the open water areas were even smaller again and there were less birds. In Siikalahti I saw nothing new but I managed to twitch a Ring Ouzel that was visiting one garden. The owner let me take pictures of this stunning bird from his livingroom while the bird was feeding on the grass that had been dug visible.

When I went to pick up Hanna I twitched the same Common Shelduck in Kinnarsalmi and saw a Shore Lark and a flock of Lapland Buntings in Suurenjärvenliete. Otherwise I didn’t see much.

On the 23th of April Siikalahti was open again and I saw a couple of Gadwalls and even 210 Eurasian Wigeons but not American Wigeon. In Rautalahti I saw a flock of 30 Oystercatchers and a Peregrine Falcon and in Joukio I saw a Black Kite.

On the 24th day on my lunch-jour I saw a Greater Spotted Eagle migrating in Siikalahti and in Särkisalmi I saw a lonely Oystercatcher. On the 25th day I saw a Black Kite and a Whimbrel in Siikalahti and after work I went to Saari but it started to snow again very hard. So I saw 4 Gadwalls in Akonpohja but in Pohjanranta the visibility was so bad that I didn’t get out from my car at all.

On the 26th day there were 11 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver in Särkisalmi and in Siikalahti I saw again a Black Kite and a Ruff and a Wood Sandpiper. In two visits I saw also altogether 93 migrating Greenshanks. Then we headed to Saari where we saw 4 Bewick’s Swans in Kinnarsalmi, 4 Common Scoters in Akonpohja, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Ruffs, 100 Greenshanks, a Common Redshank and a Wood Sandpiper in Pohjanranta, a Hazel Hen, 40 Greenshanks, a White-backed Woodpecker. 60 Mistle Thrushes and a Lapland Bunting in Suurenjärvenliete and 17 Bewick’s Swans, a Ruff, 52 Greenshanks and 2 Wood Sandpipers in Kanavalampi

On the 27yj of April there were already 52 Black-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe, a Red-breasted Merganser and a Common Sandpiper in Särkisalmi. Then we stayed in Siikalahti for the most of the day and saw 2 Bewick’s Swans, 23 Black-throated Divers, 2 Cormorants, even 5 Black Kites, 3 White-tailed Eagles, 4 Hen, even 4 Pallid Harriers and 2 unidentified harriers, 14 Common and 14 Rough-legged Buzzards, a Merlin, a Little and a Common Ringed Plover, 5 Whimbrels, 18 Ruffs, a Common Sandpiper, 98 Greenshanks, 8 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Barn Swallows, 10 Tree Pipits, a Northern Wheatear and so on.

In the afternoon we headed to Saari but saw nothing special. I dropped Hanna to hide again and then headed to Savonlinna with Arttu Valonen and Veikka Kosonen. We twitched a male Steller’s Eider in Punkasalmi but a Citrine Wagtail wasn’t in Tänkky anymore. So we headed to Riihisaari where we found 2 male Mandarin Ducks and a Mute Swan easily.

On the 28th day a Long-tailed Duck was in Särkisalmi and then I was again in Siikalahti until the afternoon.

The best observation was a Wolverine that I saw jumping to the road! When it saw us it ran a little bit away but luckily turned and stopped looking at us before disappeared to the bushes. A couple of Gadwalls, a Black Kite, a Peregrine Falcon, a Black-tailed Godwit, 29 Ruffs, a Spotted Redshank, a Jack Snipe, 12 Little Gulls, a very early Sand Martin, a Yellow Wagtail, a migrating Citrine Wagtail and probably another one too, 12 Waxwings, a Willow Warbler, 32 Jays, 3 Rooks and 8 Lapland Buntings were seen. In the afternoon I had to drive to Saari again to pick up Hanna but all I saw were a Pink-footed Goose, a Cormorant and a Peregrine in Pohjanranta. In the evening we saw a Short-eared Owl again in Tetrisuo.

On the 29th of April even 3 Citrine Wagtails were found in Siikalahti dam-road. Other birds I saw were a Black Kite, 3 Grey Herons, a couple of Common Redstarts and a Pied Flycatcher. We visited Saari again briefly when Arttu found a Common Whitethroat in Tarassiinlahti and it was a new month-tick for me. In Kanavalampi we saw a Black-tailed Godwit.

On the 30th of April a Bluethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat were singing at dam-road. During my lunch-hour I saw a Black Kite again. In the afternoon we did a good tour in Saari with Harri Hölttä. We saw 7000 Barnacle Geese and a Black Kite in Kirjavala, 4 Gadwalls, a couple of Slavonian Grebes, a Black Kite and a Spotted Redshank in Akonpohja, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits in Suurenjärvenliete and then in Jyrkilä we found a Bar-headed Goose! When we still saw a couple of Oystercatchers and 7 Spotted Redshanks in Tarassii, 4 Bewick’s Swans, a Garganey, a Black Kite, a couple of Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Redshank in Kanavalampi and a Whichat in Karinmäki it is easy to say that we had really had a good trip. In the evening there was still a Peregrine hunting in Siikalahti and a Spotted Crake was calling.

J.A.

On the 6th of April Veikka Kosonen picked me up very early and we started a long drive. In Lapinjärvi Pukaro we had to stop we we found 2 Grey Partridges on the snowy field. Then we continued until Salo where we twitched Collared Doves and saw a Pheasant and a flock of Common Pochards. It was very wintery in Salo too as last night it had been snowing everywhere in Finland.

After some shopping we continued until Parainen Nauvo Pärnäinen where we carried our stuff into the ferry and saw a Coot. We stayed all the ferry-trip on the dock and saw some Common and Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed ducks, a few Black Guillemots, a small flock of Greater Scaups, a couple of Curlews and so on. Finally we were in Jurmo which was all covered by snow! We were told that there was now more snow than in whole winter thanks to last night.

It was very hard to get our stuff to the bird-station because of the snow. We didn’t really have much time for birding left but we saw a Stock Dove and a Wood Lark on the meadow and on the feeder there were plenty of tits, robins and so on and a couple of Dunnocks.

On the 7th of April Veikka and Jouni Saario woke up early to mist-nets. We headed to do morning sea-watch while the rest went to walk the western route. With Timo K. Palomäki and Vesa Virtanen we were seawatching under a pine that gave some shelter from the wind. We saw more than a thousand Common Scoters, a couple of Common Shelducks and Greater Scaups, a Black-throated Diver, an Arctic Skua, 82 Razorbills, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Snow Bunting.

It was so quiet on the mist-nets that Veikka could stop early and we went together to count the eastern route. We saw 10 Rock Pipits, a Common Redshank and a couple of Wood Larks. On the way back towards the station we still saw a Hawfinch. During the day we saw also a Marsh and a Hen Harrier.

The 8th of April was pretty similar. We seawatched with Vesa Virtanen and Teijo Saari and when Veikka was free, we headed to count western route. Near the harbor we managed to twitch a Caspian Tern that Vesa had seen flying over then station. Best bird in west were a Dunlin (schinzii) and a Jack Snipe. But the best birds of the day were seen in the evening at the station where we first saw a Hawfinch and then a Ring Ouzel. During the day snow has finally melted mostly so the expectations were getting higher.

The 9th of April was a bird-day as ringers were busy with 358 ringed Robins. But nothing better was caught. Best bird of the morning was a Tree Pipit that was flying around. It was quiet on the sea but a single Slavonian Grebe was swimming close to the shore. With Timo and Teijo we counted western route and saw a couple of Gadwalls, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a flock of Purple Sandpipers, the same Dunlin, a Jack Snipe and a Twite. As I though I hadn’t walked enough we still went to east with Veikka and saw a couple of Shovelers, a couple of Slavonian Grebes, a Black Redstart and a Whinchat. In the evening a Tree Sparrow, a couple of Rooks and a stunning male Black Redstart were seen close to the station. During the day we had counted altogether 56 Chiffchaffs.

On the 10th day there were still some birds moving and 166 Robins were ringed. The best bird of the seawatch was a Common Guillemot which was Teijo’s 200th Jurmo-tick. We also saw a flock of 3 migrating Hawfinches and a Rook.

With Veikka and Teijo we headed west and saw a nice Steller’s Eider that was swimming on the lake and then flew nicely past us.

Next days weren’t good at all even though the weather didn’t seem too bad. On the 11th day we counted more than 2000 migrating Common Scoters and saw a also 2 Steller’s Eiders. In west we saw 35 Purple Sandpipers and in east a Black Redstart. There was almost no birds on the nets and only a few Chiffchaffs were seen, but 20 Rock Pipits was a good number.

And the 12th day was as poor. More than 2000 Common Scoters and a Red-throated Diver were seen but mist-nets were empty. In west we saw a Red-necked Grebe, Purple Sandpipers and a Dunlin. Altogether 4 Black Redstarts and 9 Wood Larks were seen but I didn’t see a single Chiffchaff. In the evening we heard an Eagle Owl calling a couple of times and with Veikka we heard a Great Bittern calling while migrating.

On the 13th of April we were working hard again but only birds to mention were a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Dunlin and a Tree Pipit. It was good to see some Coal Tits too as some of them had survived their long travels.

The last morning we seawatched with Veikka and saw more than 2000 Common Scoters and 100 Razorbills. I finally saw my first buzzard in Jurmo which was a Rough-legged Buzzard and we also saw a Common Tern. Then we still walked the western route in hard rain and saw quite a good selection of the same birds than every day.

On the ferry we climbed to the deck again and it was full of other birders. Only new bird was an Osprey.

On the way back home we stopped in Hyvinkää Kytäjä where on flooded fields we saw a Green-winged Teal after some trying. It wasn’t easy because of it was with about 600 Common Teals and they were mostly behind some bushes. We still saw a Long-eared Owl crossing the road in Luumäki and finally about at midnight I was at home. Veikka still had some driving left.

J.A.

February was a boring as usually. On the 2nd day there were 4 species of woodpeckers on our feeder and the same Marsh Tit was still in Moskuunniemi. I saw the same tit again on the 5th day but then there was also a Sparrowhawk hunting so the tit had became really difficult.

I did some birding on my lunch-hours but saw mostly the same birds every day. A couple of surprises were a Pygmy Owl in Tasaisetkalliot and a Goshawk in Kangaskylä on the 6th and a migrating Golden Eagle in Tiviä, a Goldfinch in Kangaskylä on the 8th day when I saw the Marsh Tit on Harri Partanen’s feeder.

We were also photographing birds that were visiting our feeders a couple of times. Photographing was done from hides.

I visited Kokkolanjoki in Simpele a couple of times but saw only a few Whooper Swans and Dippers. Then on the 13th of February I twitched a Great Grey Owl in Melkoniemi but a few days later on the 16th day I found one in Siikalahti too.

On the 17th there had been a snow-storm at night but we had to drive to Helsinki. There we stopped in Tokoinranta where we saw 3 Gadwalls, a Teal, a Tufted Duck, 2 Mute Swans, 2 Canada Geese, a Great Crested Grebe, Common and Herring Gulls and House Sparrows. Then we continued to Hotel Skyline to relax, eat well and sleep. On the next day we had long traveling to Costa Rica.

After the trip to Costa Rica it had been very warm in Finland. On the 4th of March I saw the same Marsh Tit again but also 2 White-tailed Eagles, 2 migrating Whooper Swans and 18 Herring Gulls in Härskiinmutka. On the 5th day there were 4 White-tailed Eagles in Siikalahti and on the 6th day a Goldfinch was singing on our back-yard.

But then the weather changed again. I did my winterbird-count in wintery conditions on the 9th day. I saw a couple of crazy surprises as a Grey Heron was migrating and there was a male Capercaillie too. Other birds I saw were a Hazel Hen, 2 Herring Gulls, 10 Rock Doves, a Black Woodpecker, 9 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a White-backed Woodpecker, 7 Long-tailed, 35 Blue, 61 Great Tits and a Willow Tit, a Treecreeper, a Great Grey Shrike, 16 Jays, 10 Magpies, 63 Jackdaws, 25 Hooded Crows, 4 Ravens, 13 Tree Sparrows, 7 Greenfinches, 2 Common Redpolls, 3 Common Crossbills and 3 Bullfinches.

On the 10th day we saw a Sparrowhawk in Muttelinmäki and on the 12th day there was the first couple of Whooper Swans in Siikalahti and a Common Buzzard was migrating. On the 13th day I saw a Common Buzzard and a Golden Eagle and on the 15th day a couple of Skylarks.

On the 16th day was the first real spring-day as on a few hours I saw 162 Lapwings, 8 Whooper Swans, a Greylag Goose, a White-tailed Eagle, 7 Skylarks and a Linnet. But then again the weather changed and all the birds flew back to south.

On the 17th of March we went to see the Marsh Tit again and surprisingly found a Hawk Owl.

During the week I saw just a Nuthatch in Kannas, a Goldfinch in our back-yard and a Pygmy Owl in Särkisalmi. On Friday I saw again some Lapwings, 2 Common Buzzards and finally 12 Snow Buntings.

On Saturday the weather was still bad but in a short visit to dam-road we saw 3 Common Buzzards, 80 Lapwings, 4 Woodpigeons, a Skylark, 6 Starlings, the same 12 Snow Buntings and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls that were migrating with some Herring Gulls.

On Sunday the 24th of March we stayed much longer and saw a Canada Goose, 14 Common Buzzards, a Golden Eagle, a Common Kestrel, 2 Merlins, 2 Common Cranes, 320 Lapwings, 12 Stock Doves and 21 Woodpigeons, 3 Grey-headed, 2 Black, 3 White-backed and a single Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, 20 Skylarks, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Long-tailed Tits, one strange-looking Great Grey Shrike or something like that, 20 Starlings, 2 Common Crossbills, 120 Snow Buntings and 4 Reed Buntings.

On the 25th day the only new arrivals were 2 Mallards but on the 26th day I heard a Great Bittern calling weakly and saw 7 White-tailed Eagles. On the 27th day I finally saw some Blackbirds and soon they were everywhere.

On the 28th I stopped my work-day early as the weather was perfect. We stayed on the dam-road for a long time with some friends and saw 25 Whooper Swans, 41 Bean, 3 White-fronted and 39 grey geese, 11 White-tailed Eagles, a Marsh and a Hen Harrier, 3 Goshawks, 15 Sparrowhawks, even 47 Common Buzzards, a Golden Eagle, 3 Kestrels, 13 Cranes, 326 Lapwings, 9 Stock Doves, 83 Woodpigeons, 3 Black Woodpeckers, even 7 Wood Larks, 36 Skylarks, 10 Meadow Pipits, a White Wagtail, 20 Blackbirds, 3 Mistle Thrushes, 9 Chaffinches, 2 Goldfinches, 3 Siskins, 4 Linnets, 38 Snow Buntings and 6 Reed Buntings.

On Friday we saw for example 69 Bean and 5 White-fronted Geese, a Common Teal, 2 Goosanders, a Hen Harrier, 14 Cranes, a Common Snipe, 3 Black-headed Gulls, 16 Stock Doves, 3 White Wagtails, 97 Blackbirds, 14 Fieldfares, 24 Mistle Thrushes, 5 Linnets, 64 Snow Buntings and 40 Reed Buntings. In the evening we drove south to Kirkkonummi to visit my parents.

On Saturday we headed towards Hanko with my father. On the way we saw a Rook and a couple of Barnacle Geese in Inkoo and a Great Grey Shrike in Karjaa.

Then in Hanko we headed to Uddskatan and started walking slowly along the path towards the most southern tip of Finland. We walked about 3 kilometers before the fog arrived. But luckily we managed to see plenty of birds: 2 Eurasian Wigeons, 4 Gadwalls, a Pintail, 3 Greater Scaups, 250 Common Eiders, 100 Long-tailed Ducks, a female Steller’s Eider, 5 Common and 3 Velvet Scoters, 2 Smews, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 8 Oystercatchers, a Great Ringed Plover, a Rock Pipit, 4 Wrens, about 30 Robins, 5 Song Thrushes, 10 Bramblings and 2 Parrot Crossbills.

The fog was making birding quite difficult but we also visited Vedagrundet where we saw a Green Sandpiper, Kobben where 4 Common Redshanks were seen and Svanvik where the best birds were 5 Common Redshanks and a Garganey. On the way back we still stopped in Inkoo Kopparnäs where we saw a Marsh Harrier and 3 Bearded Reedlings and heard even 8 Water Rails and a couple of Grey-headed Woodpeckers.

On the 31st of March it was still very foggy so we did just a short visit to some fields in Kirkkonummi. There we saw 3 Bewick’s Swans and a Golden Plover in Saltfjärden and a Rough-legged Buzzard in Mattby. In the evening we drove back to home but stopped shortly in Kouvola Evijärvi where we saw another Rook and in Lappeenranta Konnunsuo where we missed a Great Egret by seconds but managed to twitch an Eurasian Curlew which was a new March-tick.

On Eastern Monday the 1st of April we were again in Siikalahti and even the weather was excellent and it was 14 degrees, there weren’t as many birds as we had expected. We saw 3 Taiga and 59 Tundra Bean and 78 White-fronted Geese, 4 Marsh and 2 Hen Harriers, 23 Sparrowhawks, 32 Common Buzzards, 2 Merlins, 2 Golden Plovers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 10 Common Snipes, 67 Black-headed and a single Common Gull, 584 Woodpigeons, 80 Meadow Pipits, 8 White Wagtails, 87 Fieldfares, 23 Mistle Thrushes, 10 Linnets and so on. In the evening I visited dam-road again and heard 2 Water Rails and saw a Woodcock on the way.

During the week the weather turned really bad again. Anyway on the 2nd of April there were already 80 Mallards and 2 Wigeons in Siikalahti. But on the next morning there was about 30cm new snow on the ground and only way to see any birds was on feeders. So on the 3rd of April I visited only feeders in Moskuunniemi and saw a couple of Robin, some Goldfinches, a Reed Bunting and the same Marsh Tit which was still around.

J.A.

The year 2023 wasn’t the greatest birding year but I managed to 400th Finnish tick after a couple of amazing successful and a couple of unsuccessful twitching trip. I didn’t get any new self-found ticks but maybe the most amazing ticks were even 4 new Siikalahti-ticks as I had got only 9 ticks in last 12 years and the longest streaks without any had been 3 and 3.5 years. After all I got 261 year-ticks but I birded mostly near home so I got even 221 species in Parikkala and 195 in Siikalahti.

Usually we had done a long The first of January trip but as we had just did a long twitching trip and after all there were only the same Oriental Turtle Dove and Black-throated Thrush around, we decided to take a bit easier this year. So our targets were the Black-throated Thrush, a Nutcracker in Punkaharju and a Two-barred Crossbill in Imatra.

The year changes in very cold weather but at 5:15 a.m. we picked up Harri Hölttä and started driving towards Lieksa. It was a long drive but it went quickly. The coldest place was some 20 kilometers before Lieksa when it was even -31.5 degrees! Luckily it wasn’t that cold, only -21 degrees, when we parked in Lieksa and walked to the familiar street where we stopped to watch towards the feeder. Surprisingly we saw some familiar faces on the window as there were some top-twitchers inside the house watching towards the feeder.

The first bird of the year was surprisingly a Fieldfare that arrived to the feeder when it was still quite dark. Soon Great and Blue Tits and Yellowhammers started to wake up and then the second thrush of the morning arrived – a Blackbird.

Hooded Crows and Jackdaws were already flying on the sky when Jörgen Palmgren arrived and joined us and pretty soon also the star-bird arrived when the Black-throated Thrush flew close to the feeder. We still stayed there for some time as we hoped to see the thrush better and maybe get some pictures too but after some waiting we decided to give up as we had again a long driving in front of us. And of course it was pretty cold too…

While we were driving we saw a Black Grouse in Joensuu, a Goshawk in Kontiolahti, a Raven in Kitee and when we were getting closer to Parikkala, we realized that we hadn’t got time to turn to Punkaharju but decided to keep on driving towards Imatra. There was no news from Imatra but we heard that Nutcrackers hadn’t been seen during the morning either. And then we got news that Petri Kalmari had seen a Nutcracker in Imatra.

In Parikkala we saw a Grey-headed Woodpecker flying over the road in Kinnarsalmi and then we of course had to make a brief stop in Moskuunniemi where after some waiting we saw a Marsh Tit. We also saw a Nuthatch and Common Redpolls. But soon we were driving towards Imatra again.

In Ruokolahti we saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker and when we arrived to Imatra there were still no news about the Two-barred Crossbill. So we decided to try to twitch the Nutcracker first. The bird had been seen some 20 minutes earlier but the owner of the house and the feeder told that usually it wasn’t visiting the feeder after 1 p.m. We waited for some time but after all we had to give up. Only year-tick was a Jay.

In Vuoksi Itä-Siitola we saw Goldeneyes, a Cormorant, a male Smew and Mallards but then we continued to Neitsytniemi. Nobody had sent any message, but the crossbill but once we got to the feeder the bird was there! It was my second First of January tick of the day, number 155.

We also saw a couple of Nuthatches and a Treecreeper. When it was getting dark we still decided to make some stops along river Vuoksi. We still saw a Goosander in Imatrankoski and a Goldfinch in Mansikkala. And after we had eaten, we still tried to twich a Tawny Owl but the weather was getting worse and we had no luck.

Winter continued very cold so there was really not much to see in Parikkala. I did some birding every day on my lunch-hours and more at weekends. Mostly I visited Moskuunniemi and our feeders around Siikalahti. So I saw the same Marsh Tit, Nuthatches, Long-tailed Tits, Treecreepers, Grey-headed and White-backed Woodpeckers and so on almost every day. Some year-ticks I got were Common Crossbill, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Crested Tit.

On the 7th of January we visited Rautjärvi Simpele Kokkolanjoki with Harri Partanen but it was again a very cold day so we found only a few Dippers. Then in Siikalahti we saw a Goshawk that had just hunted a Black Woodpecker.

On the 9th day I went to check the condition of forest roads and found out that it was impossible to drive to see Siberian Jays. I did see a Hazel Hen in Kirpoavankivenmäki.

On the 13th day I stopped briefly in Kokkolanjoki and saw Mallards and a male Goosander. Then on the 14th day we did a long skiing trip from Oronmylly to Soininmäki. On the way just before Oronmylly we saw a Pygmy Owl. In Soininmäki we found a couple of Siberian Jays after some waiting and searching. Otherwise it was extremely quiet in the forests. The cold weather had been fatal to many birds. For example a flock of Long-tailed Tits that was visiting our feeder had only 6 birds left from 11.

Hanna spent a several days in a hide next to our feeder and got some nice pictures of tits and woodpeckers and so on. I also joined her in a couple of mornings when it wasn’t so cold.
In the end of January some days were warm and there were even some days with + degrees. Then it was very difficult to find any birds as they were feeding on the top of trees. I found out that the Marsh Tit was staying on Harri Partanen’s feeder only on cold days and on warmer days it changed to another feeder that was some hundreds of meters away.

On the 25th day I found one Goldcrest that had somehow still survived and also a Great Grey Shrike in Tetrisuo. On the 26th day I saw a Dipper in Tyrjä. At weekend we did Garden twitches first in Siikalahti feeder and then in Tarvaslampi hide-feeder. Nothing new was found. But in Tarvaslampi garden-feeder there was a big flock of Common Redpolls with at least 3 Arctic Redpolls and a single Lesser Redpoll.

In the end of January I still saw a Pygmy Owl and an Arctic Redpoll amongst other ordinary birds in Tiviä and on the both two last days of January I saw the Marsh Tit in Moskuunniemi.

J.A.